This morning, we went and had your 5 year pictures taken. We spent about an hour at a park and it was hot and you were very tired of having your picture taken, but you knew that after pictures we were going somewhere special. You had a special day with Daddy and you've been asking me when we can have a special day together, so today is it. I wouldn't tell you where we were going but you were hell bent on figuring it out. You finally guessed half way there... The Beach! We went to Tunnel Park in Holland. It was a very nice clean beach with park and playground attached. We had a picnic and you had a ball swimming.

The waves were very small but you were shrieking with laughter when the pushed you toward the shore. I was pretending that they were huge and knocking me over. We tried making a sand castle, but your bucket broke and cut your leg and you were done with the beach after that. We headed over to the playground, but didn't play very long because the sand was so hot. On the way home, we stopped at Captain Sundae and got some sundaes. They were amazing, with tons of hot fudge and candy in them. Yum! Within minutes of the car ride home you were out, and slept the whole way.

Party! Party! It's a Tinkerbell party! Today was your preschool friends party, and amazingly everyone we invited came. There was Samantha, Maddie, John, Tyler, Breeanne, Abby, and Lily. We had Tinkerbell balloons, plates, and napkins. We blew up the inflatable waterslide and had the little plastic pool set out. You guys ended up using that to warm up, since the slide water was so cold. It was a beautiful day though. We had snacks, drinks, and cupcakes for dessert. I thought the boys would be the most rambunctious on the slide, but Abby and Breeanne won that title. For gifts, you got a Cinderella doll with horse, Care Bear, $20, Mylie Cyrus doll with locker, bracelets, jewelry box and bead set, and Littlest Pet Shop Clubhouse. I think the Littlest Pet shop was your favorite. We had goodie bags and balloons for everyone. I think everyone had fun, I know you did!

Happy 5th Birthday Elise! Today was your family party day. The guests included Grandpa, Grandma Denise, Nana, Papa, Gigi, and Aunt Allison. There were presents, presents, and more presents, and a beautiful Tinkerbell cake. You got Blendy Pens, Magnetix, a Tinkerbell purse, books, a huge coloring book, art set, clothes, bubbaloons, bike helmet and kneepads, and more. I think you had a great time, and loved being the center of attention. Nana fell in the pond which was hilarious! You showed off your hamster to everyone.

Friday, we went to the pet store and picked up your 5th birthday present. Welcome home Abu the hamster! Before lunch, we went to V.I.Pets to look at their selection. You saw a hamster that you really liked, so we asked the lady if she could take it out of the cage. When she saw what hamster you picked, she said, "I don't know about that one, it's kind of ... sassy?" She tried to scoop it out with one of its toys but it jumped on to her lap. It then proceeded to bite her finger and pee on her pants. I said, "Okay, we don't want that one. Can we look at some of the others?" She brought down 3 separate cages before we found a nice buff colored teddy bear that seemed very friendly. Mom declared, "We'll take it!" Later we brought Daddy back to the store so he could meet Abu and we could take him home. We brought a little carrying cage to take him home in. Well when Mom tried to scoop him out of his cage he bit me sooo hard on the finger it drew blood. I started feeling a little panicky about bringing this thing home, but we did anyway.

When we got home you were so desperate to hold him. We sat you on a chair with a towel over your lap. I laid his cage on it's side to coax him out then I set him on your lap with a cracker for distraction. It seemed to work because we were all able to pet him without getting bit. When he started running all over you, we thought it best to let him get aquainted with his new home. So I picked him up and proceeded to take him over to his cage. I then tripped over your vanity stool and about threw him out the window. Luckily, the hamster didn't get hurt (Mom was another story) and he made it safely into his cage.

We've had Abu out a lot over the past 2 days and he's only tried to nibble at you once. You are doing so well with picking him up gently and holding him so he doesn't get away. He seems to like his ball and runs on his wheel ALLLLLLL night. I'm just relieved that it doesn't seem to bother you or keep you awake. The cats are curious, but so far have not tried to jump up on your dresser for a closer inspection. I had to go in there last night and cover his cage up with a towel though because Rossi was too close for comfort. You love your new hamster so much. I hope he sticks around for a while. I already told you to be prepared because they don't live a long time. You seemed to understand. Today, we clean out his cage for the first time. I'm going to make you do it. You're getting so big so fast!

Today, we went to the zoo with Maddie, Karrie, and Nathen. It was HOT. I wish we had a cooler zoo to go to than John Ball. There just isn't a lot there. We did get to ride the camel though, and that was cool. Her name was Sassy. She wasn't very sassy. We had a picnic, and we got to eat overlooking Monkey Island, which is where Dada always threatens to send me if I'm bad. My favorite were the Bears, they always seem to be up to something. Your favorite was probably the petting zoo, because you got brush the sheep. You guys also liked the mister, which was spraying today to keep down the heat. We stopped at the playground on the way out, but you guys could only muster about 10 minutes of playing cause it was too hot.

We had a great 4th of July last night and we didn't even have to leave the backyard. We started out with the traditional smoke bombs, sparklers, snakes, etc. Smoke bombs were surprisingly your favorite. You ran through the smoke cackling and got covered with soot. We did some small fireworks, then Daddy brought out the big guns from Indiana. The Salisburys and McKenzies came out to watch too. You bounced from Patty's lap to Anne's during the show, while Mom went over to shine the flashlight for Dad so he wouldn't blow up any appendages.
It was great fun and you loved being up late with the grownups. Usually the sound really bothers you, but this year we got smart and put in your earplugs that you use when you mow the lawn with Daddy.

Ahhhhh... summer is finally here, although it's not quite swimming time, much to your dismay. Yesterday, you tried anyway, but the water was only 68 degrees, so you didn't last long. How nice to have neighbors who let us use there pool! Dad and I are making a concerted effort to get you to ride your two wheel bike. I even went so far as to sell your tricycle. Sorry hun' you were just too big for it. We started out going down to the cul-de-sac and back, but you kept falling off because you go too slow! The falling off just made you more scared to ride it, so each trip was accompanied by much crying and whimpering. I'm writing this down for you, because I know one day you won't be able to remember ever not being able to ride a bike. Well, we were getting frustrated with all the fuss, so I took you to the school parking lot which is smooth and flat. We've been about 5 times now and there's been no falling. You are picking up speed and enjoying it 10 times more. I'm hoping we can try on the road again soon, now that you have some confidence back. Today we're going to the school playground with Maddie and Karrie, and you're going to show off your stuff.

The other new thing you've been up to is pretending to be a big sister, or a Mommy I can't be sure. You've dubbed one of your baby dolls "Nathen" and you want to take him everywhere. You do such a good job of taking care of him. It makes me very sad that you don't have a real sibling to take care. I know you would make such a good big sister.

Today we went to the strawberry patch to pick strawberries. It was great fun. We ended up picking 11 1/2 pounds of strawberries and I'm not sure what to do with them. You did quite a bit of tasting, and it took a while for you to figure out which ones to pick, but you got it eventually. Although quite a few yellow ones made it in our basket. Next year I think I'll get the stuff so we can can some jam, but with my work schedule this week that's just not going to happen. I guess we'll just have to find some other uses for them. The farm we went to is called Krupps farm. They also had some animals to pet and an ice cream shop where we bought a big cup of Strawberry Shortcake. Mmmmm....

A Conversation:

Elise: Where is your brain in your head?
Mom: It's takes up this whole part. On top is your skin, then your skull, which is bone to protect your brain, and then inside your skull is your brain.
Elise: What does it look like? Is it pink or red?
Mom: Well, it's gray. It kind of looks like spaghetti, or the inside of a squash.
Elise: Have you seen one?
Mom: Yes.
Elise: For real?
Mom: Yes.
Elise: Ummmm.... Did some kid's brain fall out or something?
Mom: No, in school we disected little pigs, so we could see what the inside of the body looks like.
Elise: That's cool.

"That's cool", you thought that disecting a pig to see it's brain is cool! Woohooo!! My daughter likes science!! Then we had a whole discussion about what happens to food after you eat it and where it goes, which ended with "Why is it sometimes hard to get your poop to come out?" I told you that we'll go to the library soon and check out some books about the body, so you could see what it looks like from the inside. I'm so excited to teach you all this stuff. I love it! That's so cool!

Saturday we got back from our week long trip to Walt Disney World! We had a really great time, but it is good to be home. I was so proud of you! When all the other kids were crying and throwing tantrums, you were your usual patient, sweet self. Even after 2 hours of driving, 2 1/2 hours of flying, and a 45 minute bus trip! We went to the Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Epcot. Your favorite rides were It's a Small World, Peter Pan's Flight, and the Gran Fiesta Tour at Epcot. You really loved touring Minnie Mouse's house. We had to do that and It's a Small World 4 times! You liked the quiet side of Epcot too. You made crafts and checked out all the playgrounds. Everyday, we'd head back to the resort to go swimming and take a nap, which seemed to keep us all recharged. Another favorite was the parades. We did the nighttime Spectromagic parade and Mickey's Jammin' Jungle parade at the Animal Kingdom. They even recruited you to do crowd control!

Best of all, were the characters. You got to meet Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, Belle, Ariel, Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Dale, Donald Duck, Rafiki, Meeka, Dopey, and your favorite Princess Jasmine! We took tons of pictures and I made a little book for us to remember our trip. You even braved Big Thunder Mountain, The Pirates of the Carribean, and The Haunted Mansion with me. Although, we had to cover you eyes through almost all of The Haunted Mansion. We did tons of swimming, ate tons of sweets, but now it's good to be home! I'm only going to post a few pics on here, because we will have our nice book soon.

Today was a big day, Kindergarten Screening. It didn't work out at all like I hoped. I tried to get someone to switch days with me, but couldn't find anyone. So I worked last night and got out late, then came home in the morning to sleep a couple hours, then I was supposed to pick you up at Karrie's and take you to the school. Well I woke up, threw my clothes on and went out to find my car's battery had died. I had to call Karrie to have her take you. In the end, I think I was much more distressed about it than you were, but I was so dissappointed. I was really looking forward to taking you. You said you met some new friends but that you didn't know their names. You played babies, playdough, and what sounded like red light, green light. It sounded like you had a good time and that it went well. Now I just have to wait to find out what they say.

On a lighter note, you demonstrated your superior brain power again for me tonight. You are really working on getter your letter sounds down. I'll hear you sounding out words all on your own. Tonight we were reading The Foot Book and I asked you what word you thought was "feet" and you pointed it out without hesitation. I asked you how you knew that was right and you said "feet starts with F". Brilliant, I tell you!

You are so grown up now. You found one of our old portable CD players today and have been dancing around the house with the headphones on. You don't quite get that we don't hear the music too. It's fun to hear you sing at the top of your lungs with no background music. Not to bad actually.

In light of our kindergarten concerns, I've taken out some books from the library. What Every Kindergartener Needs to Know. Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. We started doing more "school" at home. The success of the lesson seems to depend entirely on your mood. You do great if you are up to being taught, but if you have other things on your mind I get no where. I'm so glad we're not homeschoolers! I'm definitely not cut out for that. There are definitely areas that you seem to excel at; math and problem solving. For example, if I were to give you 5 pictures and tell you that this girl is trying to make a cake, you could put the pictures in order. The other day we were reading Caps For Sale which is your current favorite book. The man is carrying 12 caps on his head and he feels to make sure they are all there. In the picture, the caps are standing about 3 feet off his head, and you said "how can he feel all those caps, his arms are too short?" Funny I was thinking the same thing.

I'm including some of your latest artwork, which I really liked. The first one you painted at school. You said it was us driving cars around the sun. The second one is entitled "Spring" and features flowers, a rainbow, the sun, and a person catching a butterfly with a net. We brought it over to my Grandparents along with some cookie bars. Of course, they thought it was brilliant!

Tonight was our second parent teacher conference at school. It didn't go exactly like I had planned. I was very anxious to hear if your teachers feel you are ready for kindergarten next year, and instead of the resounding "Yes!" I was hoping for, I got "We don't want to say yet. Let's see how she does at Kindergarten Screening." They went on to say that academically you are ready, but that you lack self confidence and are not assertive. They said you don't do things independently and prefer to find another child to follow, usually Maddie.

I'm torn. I think you are ready, and that you are just so used to Maddie taking control that you just follow her at school because that's what you are used to doing at daycare. I also think that it's partly just your personality, you're not a very assertive child. On the other hand, I'd hate to send you next year and have you struggle the whole rest of the time in school. I guess we'll just have to see what happens at kindergarten screening and between now and fall. Here's a copy of your report card, and a paper where you drew a triangle, cross, and diagonal line.

February 9, 2008

What exactly do you have against your bed? It's a very nice bed, a double with yellow flannel sheets and a butterfly bedspread. Despite that you are currently taking a nap on a couch cushion behind the chair in your room. Dada calls it "Bugs Bunker". You slept there all last night. Most nights you start out sleeping in our bed and then when Dada and I go to bed we take you in the bathroom, have you pee, and then transfer you to your bed. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes you end up in our bed again, or on the floor in our room. You also like me to make a bed up for you on the couch downstairs for naps, excuse me I mean "rest", you're too big for naps. But you NEVER want to sleep in your bed. You also can't seem to stay still when you sleep. Not only do you toss and turn, but you go 360 degrees. I'm including a nice sleeping picture. You also require music, books, stuffed animals (the current favorites being Barking Dog, Chickie, Pink Bear, and Little Pink Bear, what can I say you're creative with the names), a glass of water, Patsy, and Mini. It's February now, but you are listening to a Christmas CD. Your favorite song is Jingle Bells, and you serenade me in the car on the way to school.

January 30, 2008

My God look how gorgeous you are. My big, grown up girl. Last week I picked up your packet for Kindergarten. I can't believe it! You are almost a kindergartener. I have to admit, I'm so nervous for you to go. Maddie won't be there to smooth the transition. It will be new kids and a new teacher, plus all day! I hope it goes well. In the packet there was a kindergarten readiness checklist. You checked out on all of them except two. The ones you missed were "Your child can button or zip their own pants or jacket." and "Your child can be separated from you for more than two hours without becoming upset." I still have tears when I drop you off at Preschool even though you seem to enjoy it.

Your main hobbies of the moment are cutting paper (as seen in photo), playing dress up (also seen in photo), and playing with soap and water. You cut up anything I'll let you, and I am constantly picking up little straps of paper. You received a vanity table for Christmas and you spend lots of time putting on your many dress up clothes and applying coats and coats of sparkely lip gloss. Like you need make-up! But I think you spend the most time in the bathroom, with the stool pulled up to the sink. You fill the sink with water and a generous helping of hand soap and then you cook or make a swimming pool for the Polly's. Your friend Samantha came over the other day and when her Mom came to pick her up you were both elbow deep in suds. Her Mom seemed a little panicked by the mess, but the bathroom actually comes out cleaner in the end.

December 25, 2007

It's Christmas and once again you were showered with presents. Santa brought you a vanity table complete with make-up and jewelry and a snow tube. Mom and Dad's big present was the Enchanted Tales Princess Castle complete with horse and carriage, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, and Prince Charming. You are all about the princesses. It was a good Christmas.

Aunt Allison is staying with us. She seems to feel compelled to get you gifts that poop. Last year, it was Barbie with Tanner "the pooping dog". This year it's Baby Alive! (you have to have the exclamation point in there).
She's a lovely doll that not only pees in her diaper, but she poops in it too. You were all about feeding her, but were hesistant when it came to the diaper changing part (see pic). I thought it was pretty gross too. Aunt Allison of course got a kick out of it.

I'm glad that Mom and Dad can give you everything you want, but I worry that you're spoiled. I think we're really going to have to watch that. It's hard because you are so good that we want to give you everything. Merry Christmas darling angel!

December 24, 2007

It's Christmastime!! You would think a four year old would be excited, but not you! You're too busy being terrified of Santa! Last year I told you that you had better go to sleep otherwise Santa wouldn't come. You asked how he would know if you were sleeping or not. So I told you he would check. You panicked and screamed, "I don't want Santa to look at me!!!!!!!!" We let you sleep in our bed, and you were fine. This year as Christmas approached I could tell you were getting anxious about Santa again. We talked about what to do and decided that we would ask Santa not to go in your room or look at you on our cookie note. You seemed okay with this...until it was time to go to bed tonight. We finished reading stories and you just started shaking and crying hysterically. We reminded you of what we had written on the note, and that Santa was just coming in the house to leave presents, but you wouldn't calm down. I finally had to leave to go pick up Aunt Allison from the airport. You called her and she agreed to sleep in your bed tonight, and Daddy lay with you until you were asleep. I think next year we're just going to have to face our fears and visit one of Santa's helpers in the mall. Above is a picture of you in your new Christmas PJs.

December 19, 2007

Last night was your first school concert. It was very fun watching you up there. I could tell you were concentrating so hard. Your class sang 3 songs. Two were about a snowman and the third was like "If you're happy and you know it..." but with a Christmas theme. My favorite was the chubby little snowman which goes like this.

There was a chubby little snowman
who had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny,
Now what do you suppose?
The hungry little bunny
was looking for some lunch.
He ate the snowman's carrot nose.
Nibble
Nibble
Crunch!

I have it memorized because you've been practicing in the car for me. After the concert we had Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma Denise. They got you the animatronic parrot you asked for, "Squawkers", a digital camera of your very own, and some books. We had fun playing with Squawkers, and you had fun hiding in the boxes from Mamas gifts. You were taking pictures of everything with your new camera. This morning you already have 120 pictures on your camera, most of which are of inanimate objects. You don't seem to mind. We're looking forward to Christmas!

October 31, 2007

Pretty as a Princess! It's another Halloween, Mama's favorite holiday. This year we had the added excitement of a school party. We had a parade through the halls, cupcakes, and goody bags. So much candy, where to start! Trick or Treating was not quite as much fun. Maddy and Karrie decided to go to a church Halloween party instead of trick or treating. I asked you what you'd prefer, "knocking on doors or the church party with Maddy?" It was hard for me to not try and bias you, because I really wanted to go trick or treating, but you chose that anyway. We made plans to go with the Rozelles, but just before we headed out of the door it started to rain. I grabbed some umbrellas, but with the wind, cold tempeatures, and rain, you only made it to 4 houses before you were asking to be taken home. Daddy and I pushed for a few more houses before finally giving in.

We dropped Daddy off and then headed off to the church to see if we could find Maddy and Karrie. The party was billed as "Treats from Trunks". Silly me, I didn't realize they meant trunks of cars, so the church party was a wash too (literally). You didn't seem to mind any of this, because you still had quite a bit of candy. I just hoping for better weather next year.

October 15th, 2007

Today, your class went to the pumpkin patch. You got to go on a hayride, and pick out a little pumpkin souvenir. I think you were most excited about getting to ride the bus for the first time. You've also made some new friends at school, Samantha and Lily. Samantha is sitting next to you in the picture from the pumpkin patch. Actually, she's next to you in every picture from the pumpkin patch! I can tell she really wants to be your friend. I love getting my daily report from school; what kids you played with, what boys were bad, and what you had for snack.